Abstract
The mass transfer performance of a string film reactor (SFR)—a bioreactor design for the aerobic bioconversion of methane—was investigated. The results showed that the SFR could achieve high mass transfer performance of gases, and the highest values of the mass transfer coefficients for oxygen and methane were 877.1 h−1 and 408.0 h−1, respectively. There were similar mass transfer coefficients for oxygen and methane in absorption experiments using air, methane, and air–methane mixed gas under the same liquid flow rate conditions, implying that each gas is delivered into the liquid without mutual interaction. The mass transfer performance of the SFR was significantly influenced by the liquid flow rate and the hydrophilicity of the string material, whereas the magnitude of the gas flow rate effect on the mass transfer performance depended on both the tested liquid flow rate and the gas flow rate. Furthermore, the mass transfer performance of the SFR was compared with those of other types of bioreactors.
Highlights
Natural gas conversion into liquid chemicals has become attractive [1] due to the rapid rise in natural gas production [2,3], the tremendous demand for liquid transportation fuel [2], and its compatibility with current vehicle engines and infrastructure [1,4]
To investigate the effect of varying the liquid flow direction on the transfer efficiency, massTotransfer coefficients for oxygen were measured at various liquid flowmass rates with and without investigate the effect of varying the liquid flow direction on the mass transfer efficiency, the the mass transfer coefficients for oxygen were measured at various liquid flow rates with and without the string in coefficients the system.for
The experiment results obtained indicate that the liquid flow rate and the hydrophilicity of the string material are parameters that need to be considered for the design and operation of the string film reactor (SFR)
Summary
Natural gas conversion into liquid chemicals has become attractive [1] due to the rapid rise in natural gas production [2,3], the tremendous demand for liquid transportation fuel [2], and its compatibility with current vehicle engines and infrastructure [1,4]. Insufficient supply of methane and oxygen to the microbial catalysts because of low mass transfer rate and the solubility of the gas in the aqueous phase should be addressed in order to realize the commercialization of the aerobic bioconversion of methane, which has been limited by the low titer of the product, low productivity, and low production yields. These have resulted from slow process kinetics and low metabolic energy efficiency, among other factors [1]
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